• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.356-364
• /
• 2010

Objectives : This study was done to evaluate the effect of stopping drinking, using alcoholic liver disease questionnaire, Diagnosis System of Oriental Medicine (DSOM) and Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL). Methods : 49 men who satisfied the requirement participated in this trial. They stopped drinking for 6 weeks. They were analyzed using DSOM, alcoholic liver disease questionnaire and SF-36. The data were classified by age (<47,$\geq$48) and alcoholic intake per day (<100g,$\geq$100g). For HRQOL, the SF-36v2 Health Survey was used and Quality Metric Health Outcomes Scoring Software 2.0 (QualityMetric, Lincoln, RI, USA) was applied for the analysis. Results : The alcoholic liver disease questionnaire had a partial correlation with DSOM. Generally stopping drinking decreased Heat (熱). Especially in the group drinking over 100g per day, the correlation was high. In the group over 48 years old, spleen (脾) was improved comparatively. In the group with low HRQOL (PCS<31.43, MCS<23.33) deficiency (虛) was improved. Conclusions : We found that stopping drinking can improve pathogenic factors of alcoholic liver disease and the alcoholic liver disease questionnaire be a useful diagnostic method on alcoholic liver disease by comparison with DSOM.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.47-51
• /
• 2001

To investigate an effect of the topical toluene application to .at skin on the liver injury, toluene (35 mg/$cm^2$) was sequentially applied for 3 or 5 days to rat skin and then the animals were sacrificed. 5 day toluene-treated rats showed the slight increase of live. weight per body weight(%) compared with control. Serum levels of xanthine oxidase and alanine aminotransferase activity were significantly increased both in 3 days and 5 days toluene-treated animals compared with control. In the histopathological findings, cytoplasmic degeneration of hepatocytes around the central vein was noted in the liver of rats applied with toluene to the skin. These results indicate toluene application to rat skin feds to somewhat slight liver injury. On the other hand, the hepatic benzylalcohol or aldehyde dehydrogenase activities were significantly decreased by toluene application to rat skin. In conclusion, the liver min was induced by toluene application to rat skin, and it can be hypothesized that accumulation of benzaldehyde in liver cell may be responsible for liver injury.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.43-47
• /
• 2013

Introduction: ALT/AST enzymes are present inside the cells. AST is found in cardiac and skeletal muscle and red blood cells but the ALT is checked mainly in the liver. In general, the rise of these two indicators shows liver damage. The usual measurements of these enzymes are used in liver function tests, but the levels of AST and ALT do not always reflect liver function. Method and Cases: 17 cases of liver dysfunction transiently were evaluated clinically, biochemically, and imaging study of sonogram in pediatric in-patients for 3 years. Result: Most common causes of transient liver dysfunction were infection, especially viral gastroenteritis, and bacterial infection interfering oral food intake. More often occurred in the children who have infant hyperbilirubinemia, positive history of mitochondrial dysfunction or hypoglycemia. Fasting study in one case of hypoglycemia patient showed reversible liver dysfunction during fasting over 20 hours fasting. Discussion: A significant increase in AST and ALT with normal bilirubin can be observed in clinically healthy people during blunt trauma, viral infection, severe pain, metabolic syndrome, fasting or accidental health screening.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.1328-1339
• /
• 2024

Cadmium (Cd) is a prevalent environmental contaminant that poses a potential hazard to the health of both humans and animals. In this study, biosynthesized selenium-enriched Lactobacillus plantarum and selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) were developed and evaluated for their protective effects against Cd-induced hepatic injury in mice through oral administration for 4 weeks. Cadmium exposure resulted in severe impairment of liver function, as evidenced by increased levels of serum markers of liver injury and, oxidative stress and significant damage to liver tissue, and a notable decrease in the diversity of the intestinal microbiota. Oral administration of Se-enriched L. plantarum (LS) reduced cadmium accumulation in the liver by 49.5% and, restored other cadmium-induced damage markers to normal levels. A comparison of the effects with those of L. plantarum (L) and SeNPs isolated from LS revealed that LS could more effectively alleviate hepatic oxidative stress and reduce the intrahepatic inflammatory responses of the liver, further protecting against cadmium-induced liver injury. These findings suggest that the development of LS may be effective at protecting the liver and intestinal tract from cadmium-induced damage.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.39 no.6
• /
• pp.805-817
• /
• 2009

Purpose: This ethnograpy was done to explore patterns of health care behavior in patients with chronic health problems. Methods: The participants were 15 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 2 family members. Among the patients 4 had progressed to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Data were collected from iterative fieldwork in a department of internal medicine of I hospital. Data were analyzed using text analysis and taxonomic methods. Results: Illness and disease, relationship between health care givers and clients, and communication patterns between health professions and clients were discussed as the context of health care behavior. Health care behavior of the participants was categorized by its focus: every day work centered, body centered, organ centered, and pathology centered. Conclusion: Participants' health care behavior was guided by folk health concept and constructed in the sociocultural context. Folk etiology, pathology, and interpretation of one's symptoms were influencing factors in illness behavior. These findings must be a cornerstone of culture specific care for the chronic diseases.

• Journal of Korea Association of Health Promotion
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.9-25
• /
• 2004

Along with a development of medical technology, a variety of tests, such as laboratory tests, x-ray and endoscopies are being used in health screening tests. As the tests determine the quality of health screening, test items of major health screening program in Korea. Most, of the health screening programmes focused upon detection of risk factors and diagnosis of life-style related diseases(diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, hypercholesterolemia, overweight, drinking, smoking, cerebrovascular diseases, osteoporosis), cancers(stomach, cervix, lung, breast, liver, colon, prostate, ovary, pancreas, thyroid, esophagus), infections diseases(hepatitis, tuberculosis, sexually-transmitted diseases, parasites), chronic obstructive respiratory diseases, chronic renal diseases(bacteriuria, hematuria, proteinuria), anemia, glaucoma, hearing loss, Alzheimer disease, stress and earlypsychiatric diseases. The health screening tests were basic physical examination, basic laboratory tests( CBC, urinalysis, liver function tests, lipid tests, glucose, HbA1c, uric acid, electrolytes, serological tests(HBsAg, HBs-Ab, HCV-Ab, HIV-Ab, VDRL) EKG, x-ray(chest PA, CT) endoscopy(gastroscopy, colonoscopy), sonography (abdomen, thyroid, pelvis, breast), cytology(cervix), bone density, tumor markers(NMP22, alpha-FP, CEA, CA-19-9, CA125, PSA and eye tests. Advanced technologies, like CT, PET, MRI, MRI/Angio, molecular testing were widly used in hospital based health screening programmes. In summary, a variety of tests were untilized in health screening in Korea. Those tests were utilized by stages or according to sex and age in most of health screening programmes, however a few programs used tests excessvely disregarding health screening subjects.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.28-37
• /
• 1996

Benzidine, an aromatic amine used primarily in the manufacture of azo dyes, is recognized as a urinary bladder carcinogen in humans. In rats, mice, and hamsters, chronic exposure to benzidine resulted in tumors of the liver. The present study was undertaken to suggest analyzing the metabolites of benzidine with the optimal condition, identify the metabolites of benzidine, and observe time variance of the metabolites in the isolated perfusated rat liver. N-acetylbenzidine was synthesized by acetylation of benzidine with acetic anhydride and separated by thin layer chromatography(TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). To analysis benzidine and the metabolites of benzidine, HPLC operating condition has been optimized by means of preliminary experiment. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile(37%) in phosphate buffer, flow rate maintained at 1.0 ml/min. Optimal detective conditions were electrochemicaldetector(ECD) at 0.75 V for benzidine and N-acetylbenzidine and ultravioletdetector(UVD) at 287 nm for N,N'-diacetylbenzidine. The separation system was composed of a guard column and a separation column(Polymer C18, $4.6{\times}250cm$) at a temparature of $40^{\circ}C$. The perfusion system was equilibrated for 30 minutes before addition of benzidine to the perfusate. Samples of the perfusate were collected at time intervals(0, 10, 20, 30, 60, 90, 120 min) during the 2 hour perfusion. Before analyzing samples by HPLC/ECD/UVD, samples had been treated with sep-pak. Samples of perfusate analyzed by HPLC/ECD/UVD and the metabolites of benzidine in the isolated perfused rat liver were N-acetylbenzidine and N,N'-diacetylbenzidine. Benzidine metabolized over 60% during the initial 30 minutes of perfusion, extensively by 1 hour, and was undetectable in the perfusate. N-acetylbenzidine increased by 30 minutes of perfusion, declined. N,N'-diacetylbenzidine increased the 0-90 minutes period, remained constant during the 90-120 minutes period.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.229-238
• /
• 2012

Cyclooxygenase(COX-2) is an inducible enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of prostaglandins (PGs) from arachidonic acid. Over-expression of COX-2 has been reported to be associated with progressive hepatic fibrosis in chronic hepatic C infection and rat liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride($CCl_4$). Recently, it is well known that mast cell products can stimulate the proliferation of hepatic stellate cells and key players in liver fibrosis. But little is known regarding their role in $CCl_4$-induced liver fibrosis in rat. Our aim was to investigate the relation between COX-2 expression and mast cells during liver fibrosis after $CCl_4$ treatment. Thirty Wistar rats were divided into five groups (non-treated 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8-week after $CCl_4$-treatment). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry were used to assess the expression of ${\alpha}$-smooth muscle actin (${\alpha}$-SMA), collagen-1 and COX-2 in liver tissue from $CCl_4$-treated rats. The density of collagen and mast cells were determined using a computerized image analysis system in liver sections stained with picrosirius red and toluidine blue, respectively. The expression levels of ${\alpha}$-SMA, collagen-1 and COX-2 mRNA were significantly higher at 2 wk in $CCl_4$-treated groups than non-treated group. The number of mast cells in liver tissues increased gradually from 2 wk to 6 wk depending on the fibrosis severity but decreased abruptly at 8 wk. The significant increase of collagen-1 and ${\alpha}$-SMA mRNA expression in $CCl_4$-treated rats was continued until 6 wk while the COX-2 mRNA was significantly decreased at 8 wk. These results suggest that increased mast cells are closely associated with COX-2 over-expression during hepatic fibrogenesis of $CCl_4$-treated rats.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• /
• v.25 no.6
• /
• pp.489-499
• /
• 2022

Purpose: The survival rate of pediatric patients undergoing liver transplantation has increased considerably. Despite this, the period after transplantation is still complex and poses several challenges to the recipient's family, which is responsible for care management. Recently, more attention has been paid to the impact of this complex procedure on the quality of life of caregivers. Hence, this study is aimed at assessing the quality of life of caregivers of patients who have undergone liver transplantation and the aspects that influence it. Methods: This was an observational and cross-sectional study. From November 2020 to January 2021, short-form-36 questionnaires and additional questions were given to the main caregivers of children and adolescents who underwent pediatric liver transplantation. Results: Thirty-eight questionnaires were completed and the results revealed a lower quality of life in comparison to Brazilian standards, primarily in the mental domains (41.8±14.1 vs. 51.1±2.8; p<0.001). It did not show a significant association with socioeconomic or transplant-related factors, but it did show a negative impact on parents' perception of the child's health. Parents who reported worse health status for their children had a lower mental quality of life (44.1±13.8 vs. 33.3±12.6; p<0.05). Conclusion: The caregivers of transplanted children have a lower quality of life than those of the local population. Psychological assistance should be routinely provided to parents for long-term follow-up to mitigate potential negative effects on the transplanted child's care.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.17
• /
• pp.7149-7152
• /
• 2014

A large number of epidemiological studies have demonstrated that obesity is a risk factor for several human cancers. Several animal studies using rodents with diet-induced or genetic obesity have also demonstrated that obesity can promote tumor development. However, the effects of obesity on the early stages of carcinogenesis, and especially on the spontaneous occurrence of somatic gene mutations, remain unclear. To investigate the effects of obesity on the rate of spontaneous gene mutations, we performed reporter gene mutation assays in liver, kidney, and colon, organs in which obesity appears to be associated with cancer development on the basis of epidemiological or animal studies, in mice with high fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. Six-week-old male and female C57BL/6 gpt delta mice were fed HFD or standard diet (STD) for 13 or 26 weeks. At the end of the experiments, reporter gene mutation assays of liver, kidney, and colon were performed. Final body weights and serum leptin levels of male and female mice fed HFD for 13 or 26 weeks were significantly increased compared with corresponding STD-fed groups. Reporter gene mutation assays of liver, kidney, and colon revealed that there were no significant differences in gpt or $Spi^-$ mutant frequencies between STD- and HFD-fed mice in either the 13-week or 26-week groups. These results indicate that HFD treatment and consequent obesity does not appear to influence the spontaneous occurrence of somatic gene mutations.